Stuart Pearce, the former England and Manchester City defender, has not held back in his criticism of Riccardo Calafiori following an incident in the FA Community Shield where the Arsenal player appeared to go down theatrically in the box.
Despite a stunning start that saw the Gunners go ahead in just 24 seconds and ultimately thrashing City 3-0, Calafiori found himself at the centre of a storm while the scoreline was still at 1-0. During the match, the young Italian fell in the penalty area while battling with City's Abdulkodir Khusainov, hoping to earn a penalty. However, referee Samuel Barrott immediately waved off the appeal, showing Calafiori a yellow card for simulation.
Stuart Pearce's reaction
Stuart Pearce said:
Khusainov made his tackle very early and withdrew his legs. Calafiori's fall is nothing short of a pathetic dive. A prime example of a poor take.
If I were the referee and a player looked at me, demanding a penalty after something like that, I wouldn't hesitate to give him a second yellow and send him off. If we genuinely want to eradicate diving from football, players need to be penalised for such pathetic antics.
After the match, Calafiori chose to focus on the collective effort rather than the controversy, praising the role of 19-year-old Miles Lewis-Skelly in his goal.
Riccardo Calafiori stated:
This was a crucial test for us to demonstrate our mindset after last season. Scoring early was a big boost. Miles' pass was incredible — he deserves 70% of the credit for that goal, with 30% going to me.
Mikel Arteta added:
I’m very happy. The lads showed incredible desire. The intent and execution were top-notch, though we still have work to do.
Looking ahead, Arsenal will kick off their Premier League campaign against Coventry City, while Manchester City will face Bournemouth.
